Review: Asian Pirate Musical, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Asian Pirate Musical is an ambitious indie musical that blends mythology, Southeast Asian history, environmental fiction and diverse musical traditions into one sweeping adventure. Sometimes it soars. Sometimes it struggles to hold its many ideas together.

The performers are the strongest part of the night. In the opening number, we’re introduced to a ragtag group of people who very suddenly find themselves dragged out of their own space and time by a mysterious storm and dropped unceremoniously into the year 2049. They land on a ship piloted by Nazar (Ashley Goh), a captain without a crew, who is escaping the ravages of a climate catastrophe by sailing along the Straits of Melaka towards the Java Sea. All that’s left are stragglers and hantus (ghouls) in the wind. 

The characters are a hodgepodge of real and fictional characters. Yñaqui Tuason-Inocian’s Admiral Zheng He, the famed Chinese military diplomat from the Ming Dynasty, brings warmth and humour to the ship. Sek Yeong (Amanda Maud), the feared 19th-century pirate queen who commanded the largest pirate fleet in history is charming and ruthless, but also oddly maternal towards Keliling (Rai Endah) and Riang (Nabilah Hamid), two young space pirates who seem unanchored and have spent most of their lives hopping from spaceship to spaceship. The performers are supported by Scamp Niemz’s gorgeous ocean- and silkpunk-inspired stage and costume design, John Chan’s lighting design, and Vincci Chung’s atmospheric sound design, which bring the world of Asian Pirate Musical alive.  

The book, music, and lyrics, by Zhui Ning Chang, Frey Kwa Hawking, Jade Leamcharaskul, Sarita Lewis, Nemo Martin and XANA, are clearly a labour of love. The score is highly enjoyable, treating audiences to an eclectic range of musical styles, from gamelan-inspired tunes to a hilarious K-pop moment, creating a distinctly East and Southeast Asian musical landscape that feels refreshing in London’s theatre scene. ‘Nirvana’ is particularly moving, weaving Buddhist influences into a speculative vision of future traditions. 

At its best, the score captures the cultural richness of the region. At the same time, however, wildly differing genres reduce the coherence of the music, leaving the storytelling feeling less unified than it could be. It’s a shame too, that the songs were marred by poor acoustics on the night of the performance, with muddy sound obscuring the lyrics and diminishing what would otherwise be a deeply emotional experience.

The book could use some tweaking to make the narrative more grounded in the present. The production introduces a compelling premise, yet leaves many questions unanswered. What exactly is the mysterious storm and fog? Why is there so little urgency to find a way home? And what’s the story trying to say? More significantly, the ship never really feels essential to the drama. For most part, the motley crew seem resigned to their fate and settle into life on the ship rather quickly, learning to live with the strangers who soon become friends and mentors. With such a beautiful set, I had hoped for a more inventive use of the space and a more intimate sense of the ship itself – after all, pirate ships in fiction are often as iconic as their captains. 

The production sometimes feels stronger as an experimental song cycle than as a theatre piece. Still, it’s an impressive beginning for a musical that has spent several years in development and is now in its first staging as a full theatrical production. With a bit of sharpening around the worldbuilding and narrative, Asian Pirate Musical could chart an even more exciting course.

Directed by Zhui Ning Chang
Lead Composer: Jade Leamcharaskul
Co-Musical Directors: Amy Hsu and Nunt Ruddit
Choreography by Wenning Wang
Dramaturg by Frey Kwa Hawking
Production Stage Manager: Ghost Chan
Sound Design and Mixed by Vincci Chung
Lighting Design by John Chan 元樟
Set and Costume Design by Scamp Niemz
Costume Supervisor & Prop Maker: Geremi So
Prop Design by Mikayla Teodoro
Prop Maker: Naomi (Ruizhi) Zhang
Projection Visuals: Jeffrey Choy
Production Intern: Cas Potterton
Graphic Designer: Syahirah Afifah
Produced by Florian Lim, Nemo Martin

Asian Pirate Musical runs at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until Sunday 2 August.